Birmingham Company Donates Computer Equiptment to UA’s College of Communication & Information Sciences

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In honor of their CEO, Jim Christian, employees of Birmingham-based radio software company Tapscan have donated software and computer equipment to develop a media laboratory in the College of Communication and Information Sciences (C&IS) at The University of Alabama.

Greg Calhoun, vice president at Tapscan, said the software and equipment will be donated to the department of telecommunication and film at UA, creating the Jim Christian/Tapscan Computer Classroom. “We view our relationship with the College and the University as one that is mutually beneficial,” said Calhoun. “We feel it is our responsibility to invest in our community by helping further the education of students who will become future communication leaders.”

Christian, who is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and worked in radio for nearly 20 years before founding Tapscan in 1983, said that the donation of equipment will aid UA students in gaining cutting-edge experience and an education that is necessary in today’s rapidly changing field of public communications. “The staff of Tapscan and I are very proud and honored to be working with The University of Alabama’s College of Communication,” said Christian. “The software systems we developed have become the primary means by which advertising sales are conducted in television, radio and cable, and we are glad to provide these valuable tools to further the education of tomorrow’s media professionals. Students who have learned these systems and their underlying principles will have an decisive advantage when entering the media-related employment marketplace.”

“Creating partnerships with industry leaders is a win-win for everyone. We are grateful for Tapscan’s generosity and appreciative of their forward-looking investment in the professional future of our students,” said Dr. E. Culpepper Clark, C&IS dean.

Tapscan’s software products are generally credited with revolutionizing the sales processes of radio and television stations and cable systems.

Tapscan’s flagship ratings analysis system for radio stations is the industry standard, used by tens of thousands of radio salespeople everyday to determine commercial ad rates, present audience composition and ranking reports using Arbitron ratings data, and produce radio advertising proposals and schedules for station clients.

Most recently, the company introduced WebAvails, which expedites the buying and selling of television time using the Internet, powered by the company’s dominant software presence in the television industry.

“The facility that Tapscan has made possible will be a state-of-the-art learning center in which a new generation of programming and audience analysis will be taught,” said Dr. Loy Singleton, chair of the department of telecommunication and film. “The lab’s Internet connection to Tapscan’s headquarters will assure regularly updated, industry-leading software and real-world data will be used in our classes. Not only will that provide cutting-edge training for our students, but will assure a continuing vital link between our department and the nation’s leader in audience analysis systems and services.”

“The classroom will allow students in our programming and audience analysis classes the opportunity to become proficient with the latest Tapscan software applications,” said Dr. Rob Potter, assistant professor of telecommunication and film, who will be teaching many of the classes. “Tapscan is truly the industry standard for analyzing Nielsen ratings data, and our students will be well prepared to begin broadcast management careers having had access to it in the telecommunication and film curriculum. Plus, I can’t wait to teach it!”‘